Archive - Jan 2009

Since the inauguration, the world has watched intently as President Obama has hit the ground running. This week, the House of Representatives passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009--the much needed economic recovery package--and now the bill goes over to the Senate for a vote. As I said in my last post, this stimulus package begins a green transition for America--a transition that will put millions of Americans back to work and simultaneously green our economy by investing in weatherization, efficiency, as well as improved mass transit. According to Speaker Nancy Pelosi's website, the bill passed by the House includes the necessary facets to start laying a foundation for a new green economy and includes the following:

Former VP Al Gore testified yesterday before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at a hearing titled "Addressing Global Climate Change: The Road to Coppenhagen." The choice of topic for the Committee's first hearing of year sends a welcome signal that, as Chairman John Kerry said, "climate change will be increasingly central to our foreign policy and national security, and it will be a focal point of this Committee’s efforts as well."

In case you missed it, here's some video of the hearing. You can watch the whole thing in segments on YouTube or from beginning to end at CSPAN.org once it's available again. Below is the full text of the testimony directly from Gore's blog.

Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. This recovery package will help to create and save nearly 4 million jobs and revive our struggling economy, as well as invest in necessary public works which will better position the United States for a prosperous future. The stimulus package begins a green transition for America, investing in an estimated 500,000 green-collar jobs that will simultaneously put Americans back to work and help to end our dependence on fossil fuels, significantly reduce global warming pollution and save businesses and individuals money on energy bills.

We've been following in this blog for awhile the ongoing struggle by activists and citizens to stop the destruction of Coal River Mountain via mountaintop removal (MTR). In that spirit, let me point you to a must-read article on Salon. The article is mainly a well-deserved profile of activist Rory McIlmoil, co-founder of Coal River Wind and a tireless advocate for wind energy as an alternative to coal. But it also serves to highlight the "madness" (in James Hansen's words) of the whole concept of mountaintop removal. Just how mad would blowing up Coal River Mountain to harvest coal be?

Power Shift '09 is one month away--that's less than 700 hours from now! Register today and be sure to select 1Sky as your coalition member-group affiliation. -- Luis

I can still remember it like it was yesterday. Majora Carter giving an impassioned speech about her work arming low-income communities with sustainable solutions in the Bronx. Van Jones rallied the crowds with his vision of a clean energy future inclusive of all. The Step It Up crew had us wave thousands of green fingers up at stage, and our very own Betsy Taylor gave a speech about the brand-new 1Sky campaign that didn't even have an office yet.

President Barack Obama announced today that he will allow states to set stricter limits on greenhouse gas pollution from cars.

Under the Bush administration, states were not allowed to enforce stricter limits on carbon emission than those the federal government requires under the Clean Air Act. President Obama's action reverses this stance, and will enable states to get an Environmental Protection Agency waiver to adopt stricter standards for tailpipe emissions.

The streets of Washington DC are still overflowing with excitement and energy from the inauguration of our 44th President, Barack Obama. Citizens from across the United States and around the world watched as Obama hit the ground running on Wednesday, but as citizens who care about the climate, we are all wishing and hoping that Obama will be the next environmental president. According to Bill Chameides of the Huffington Post:

Barack Obama is in the White House, his appointments are almost all confirmed, and everyone on the Hill is pushing a green recovery bill full steam ahead. We're at the cusp of an explosion of green investments, but we're keeping our eyes on the big picture, too.

Former Vice-President Al Gore will testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on climate change next Wednesday, January 28. Gore will discuss the latest climate change science and the implications for the future of our planet.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) invited Gore. Kerry said:

Al Gore has been sounding the alarm on climate change for over three decades, and he understands the urgent need for American engagement and leadership on this issue. America must act decisively in order for the nations of the world to reach agreement on a climate change treaty at the December 2009 meeting of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen, Denmark. The timeline is short for us to respond to the threat of climate change, and this hearing will examine what America must do to lead the world in crafting a truly global solution.

In his inaugural address on Tuesday, President Obama called for "bold and swift" action to fix our economy and promised to work tirelessly to "roll back the specter of a warming planet."